"Rod is one of the most talented photographers I've ever had the honor of partnering with for our U.S. Army photoshoots. He's truly passionate about his craft, thoughtful in his approach, down to every stunning detail in the story he is capturing. Rod is kind, respectable and compassionate with his agency partner, and especially the client(s). Each location scout and shoot was seamless, with a stunning final product. I'd love the opportunity to work with Rod again."

"I've been fortunate enough to work with Rod on a few high profile assignments, and I've walked away from each campaign with stunning work and more importantly, an exceptional experience. Rod always brings an incredible amount of thought and enthusiasm to the table, paying attention to details and always looking to make each shot better in that moment, something I believe everyone should look for in a photographer. So whenever a fitting opportunity presents itself, he's at the top of my list."

When I got a call to shoot ultra marathoner Charlie Engle on his morning run up Half Dome, I never considered that I was going to have to run with him.

Photography is my way of communicating what I see. I don’t want to just capture images, I want to create images that empower and give voice to the subject, that engage and inspire the viewer.

I lived in West Africa for four years. Whenever I had some free time I would strap a 4x5 camera to the back of my motorcycle and search out people for portraits. The hardest part was getting to these remote villages in the desert. The rest was easy, I could not have asked for more beautiful people to photograph.

When we started talking about creating an image of The Rolex Big Boat Series all I could see were the classic paintings of big beautiful sailboats smashing through the waves. I don’t think that any of us realized this would mean we would be doing the same, but in a much smaller chase boat.

Athletes have always fascinated me. Take divers for example, I can understand jumping off a high dive a couple of times for fun, but all day long, one after another. Always tweaking little nuances in search of perfection.
I think the challenge for a photographer is to create more than just a captured moment.

I love to shoot athletes in big epic landscapes, locations that tell a story, and let the viewer feel a part of the scene. Back in the day I would shoot with 4x5 or 8x10 and then crop in to get this long horizontal image but shooting in that way is slow and tedious, not very conducive to shooting athletes or any kind of motion. Now I shoot in plates, multiple images stitched together to create one big landscape, then I move in closer and shoot the talent, filling the frame, running with them, shooting up from ground level, constantly interacting, not worried about the background or composition. Then we stitch together plates, add a cloud, the talent, and tweak the color a bit. With the exception of the cloud I rarely alter the scene by bringing in elements that were not originally there. Watch video